Worcester poll workers to get new orders

Wednesday

Oct 31, 2012 at 10:00 PMOct 31, 2012 at 10:37 PM

By Nick Kotsopoulos TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

After telling poll workers that observers would be required to present identification and wear a badge, election officials now have to inform workers those instructions were not consistent with state election rules.

The Election Commission will meet Friday night to clarify the protocols concerning observers at the polls.

Commission Chairwoman Diane C. Mohieldin said the meeting is intended to clear up confusion that arose after the commission’s meeting Monday night, when it was announced that observers appearing at polling places were going to have to make themselves known to the poll warden and present identification to them.

Because training sessions for poll workers and police have already been held, Ms. Mohieldin said any actions taken by the Election Commission on Friday night to clarify the rules for observers will be conveyed to them in the informational packet they receive at their respective polling locations Tuesday morning.

“That letter will clearly spell out what the observers can and cannot do,” she said.

The secretary of state’s office said Tuesday the election requirements the Election Commission wanted to implement were inconsistent with state election rules, and ordered the commission to correct them.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday in the Esther Howland Chamber at City Hall.

Ms. Mohieldin said the Election Commission never heard back from the secretary of state’s office about its request to implement local regulations governing election observers before the training for poll workers and police working on Election Day was set to begin last Thursday.

As a result, she said, a decision had to be made moments before the first training session began about whether to incorporate the new rules as part of the training.

Because it was felt that what the Election Commission was seeking was consistent with information distributed by the secretary of state’s office, Ms. Mohieldin said, she told City Clerk David J. Rushford to proceed with the training and include it as part of it the new rules for observers.

“I told Dave Rushford to go ahead with the training because we received nothing from the secretary of state’s office that told us not to go ahead with it,” she said. “If some of my colleagues feel I was wrong in making that call without consulting them, they can bring it up at Friday night’s meeting. I felt my decision was consistent with the recommendations regarding observers made by the secretary of state’s office.”

The Election Commission strongly pushed for greater accountability from election observers after allegations during the state primary Sept. 6 that some observers engaged in voter intimidation and voter suppression with their actions, which included challenging the legality of some voters and giving orders to poll workers.

There were also reports that some poll observers were illegally recording conversations between voters and poll workers. That created some confusion at the polls because poll workers did not know in some instances who was there to observe the election.

To head off any chances of chaos at the polls in the Nov. 6 election, the Election Commission asked City Solicitor David M. Moore to check with the secretary of state’s office if it could adopt local rules for poll observers.

“At our last meeting we were very specific about what we wanted to do and we approved those proposals by a unanimous vote,” Ms. Mohieldin. “We as a commission wanted to implement rules to address issues that came out of the September election regarding voter intimidation and voter suppression.

“We wanted observers to have to sign in with the (polling place) warden and wear a badge that identifies them as an observer,” she said. “We also wanted the observers to provide some form of identification. We weren’t asking for photo identification, rather some form of identification that is consistent with what is required of voters. And at no point were we talking about kicking out observers if they refused to wear a badge.”

In addition, Ms. Mohieldin said the Election Commission wanted to prohibit observers to photograph, audio tape or videotape within a polling place. The secretary of state, meanwhile, allows pictures and video within polling places, although certain prohibitions apply to them.

“We just thought it would be more clear for everyone not to allow any cameras in polling places,” she said.

Ms. Mohieldin said Mr. Moore, the city solicitor, attended an informational session held in the city Thursday at which the secretary of state’s office distributed election-related information that includes rules for poll observers.

She said it was felt the recommendations included in those materials were consistent with what the Election Commission wanted to achieve.